Milena Gigova: Photography freezes time and captures the truth

 

"Photography is freezing time. But also capturing the truth. Especially in the portraits I take," says Milena Gigova when asked what photography means to her, while three of her little models run around the Dynaphos studio for a demonstration of how to shoot artistic child portraits. Known for her fine art sessions of babies and children, as well as family photography, she admits that not every picture succeeds in the latter – to capture the truth.

"But with some photos, it's as if I can see into a person's soul. These might sometimes be photos that weren't technically perfect, but the gaze is so deep and real that it's like you've peeked into their soul. In any case, photography is preserving a memory forever."

We present to you Milena Gigova – the lady with a camera in hand, whom parents trust because of the photos she turns into fairy tales. And who brilliantly refutes the notion that if you're behind the lens, you don't know how to stand in front of it.

The Beginning

Just ten years ago, Milena had never even considered photography as a profession.

"In the beginning, I photographed absolutely everything – for fun, for myself. Little by little, I sought to have eyes, to have emotion in the frame itself. Even when I saw beautiful scenery, I'd say to myself: 'Oh, if only there was a person here now!'"

She studied economics at the University of Michigan and worked in Washington to support her studies.

"I was a hostess, but people saw that I loved to take pictures. And they started hiring me to photograph menus, events... I photographed those with another photographer, because they were events with senators, with famous people. But I increasingly focused on children. And suddenly I realized how much I loved working with children."

Milena quit her other job. And when she returned to Bulgaria, she completely reoriented herself towards child photography and began to develop in it. And so – for 10 years now.

 

 

Photo Equipment

During her time in America, Milena used a camera whose European equivalent is the Canon EOS 1000D.

"I started with Canon because I liked the name. I was on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III – an amazing camera, I was very happy with it. Now I've switched to a mirrorless camera – Canon EOS R6. I like it a lot – it produces a very sharp image, it's great," she shares.

For fine art portrait sessions in the studio, she likes to shoot with a Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM Lens, and outdoors – with a Canon RF 135mm f1.8 L IS USM Lens.

"The 50mm f/1.2 – I'm in love with this lens, it's simply divine! It's very heavy, I can barely lift this camera, but at least I'm building muscles. Otherwise, I use an adapter for the other lenses from my DSLRs. I adore shooting outdoors, and there the 135mm never leaves my camera. But I also tried it with this 50mm, and when I open the aperture wide, it turns out great."

She finds that it works even better when small children are in front of her lens. Because, in her words, the 135mm creates distance, and with smaller lenses, she can be closer to the models and thus communicate better with them.

 

 

 Communicating with Models

You can't take a good picture if you don't communicate with your model, Milena Gigova firmly states. And when the model is a child, it has to be "like a game."

"I try to be just me and the child, not to let them out of my sight, to look them in the eyes and talk to them about something that distracts them from the fact that I'm photographing them. I ask them about friends, kindergarten, what cartoons they like to watch, what their favorite animal is. And so they get distracted and forget they're being photographed. And they stay in place longer," she recounts about her experience communicating with little ones.

This has also taught her that most of them constantly smile, especially if you tell them: "Don't smile!"

"They are so uninhibited, so real. That's why I adore photographing children, because they are pure and very genuine. They give off an emotion that is incredibly energizing."

But for fine art photos, smiles are not appropriate, Milena explains. And this is achieved with a lot of patience.

 

 

Patience Behind the Lens

To achieve good child photography, a lot of patience is required, says Milena Gigova. And when she stands behind the lens, she becomes exactly that.

"Especially for fine art sessions. Because the child shouldn't be caught in their natural state of running, jumping, expressing strong emotion. Here, they need to stay still and follow certain instructions. It's easy with adults, but with children, it's extremely difficult. They don't follow instructions well, they don't understand what you're telling them. The other thing is that they get tired and frustrated incredibly quickly, and they want to move. That's why patience is required."

The most challenging small models for Milena are in the age range from when they start walking until they are about 2, 2 and a half years old. According to her, that's when they realize they can control us and can reach different places independently. And they assert this right by tending to do everything out of spite.

"Babies require even more patience. I've spent, for example, 40 minutes arranging a single pose. If the child is restless, the session can last 5, 6 hours, with the actual shooting being a very small part of that time," Milena points out.

 

 

 

 

How a Photo Becomes a Fairy Tale

In addition to suitable equipment, communication with the model, patience behind the lens, and extensive experience, Milena Gigova transforms a photo into a fairy tale with her vision. She explains that she prepares specific arrangements after discussing preferred colors and styles with parents, but she never compromises on her own style. And that is a vintage look.

"If something is totally not my style, I say: 'I don't shoot that.'"

But when she gets behind the lens, she also puts in physical effort to get the desired shots. She doesn't count them. She says that the more she shoots, the greater the chance of capturing more interesting expressions. Otherwise, there's no formula. It's clear that not every shot is a masterpiece. And that sometimes a great session can happen in just 20 minutes.

 

 

No Rules

"The important thing is to try. I think that's what teaches you the most. That's why we all have different styles. By trying different things, you see what works best for you and you adapt your own style. Very often rules are broken and it turns out better," Milena Gigova is adamant about actions behind the lens.

According to her, there is no rule as to whether men or women take better pictures. But she admits that men are "more technical" and seem to know the terminology better. However, what matters is getting a good photo.

"Because when I look at a photo, a family one for example, I relive the same emotion I felt when I took it. The other thing is the small details. I look at pictures of the children when they were little and I say to myself: 'Ah, it's true, they used to make that sweet face.' Because it's impossible to remember everything. And that's why it's so good to take pictures throughout the years, and then later – when we look at them, to remember those little details and the emotions we felt."

 

 

The photo accompanying the article's title is by Irina Stoilova Photography. All other photographs are by Milena Gigova and were provided by her for publication in our blog. More about her work can be seen on her website and on her studio's Facebook profile.